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Fix OneDrive Sync Problem When You See "Files are up to date" Message in the Icons Tray

Summary: Take the following steps to solve the sync error in OneDrive with Windows.

This article applies to This article does not apply to This article is not tied to any specific product. Not all product versions are identified in this article.

Instructions

FIND LOST OR MISSING FILES IN ONEDRIVE

See Find lost or missing files in OneDrive This hyperlink is taking you to a website outside of Dell Technologies. to find missing files.
Note: Sometimes sync problems are caused by missing files. If you get the message, "We’re checking all your files to make sure they are up to date on this PC. This might take a while if you have a lot of files," it means OneDrive detected a possible error and is automatically fixing it. No further action is needed.

paused-sync

If OneDrive sync does not work or seems to be stuck then try a reset. Note that doing this will re-sync all of your OneDrive files.

  1. Open the OneDrive app, point the cursor to the lower-right corner of the screen, then move the pointer up.
  2. Click Settings.
  3. Click Options then turn on Sync files.

 

reset-onedrive

If OneDrive sync does not work or seems to be stuck then try a reset. Note that doing this will re-sync all of your OneDrive files.

  1. Press windows_icon + R then enter, skydrive.exe /reset.
  2. Click OK.

    filesareuptodate

    Note:: Ensure that the OneDrive icon in the notification area disappears and re-appears after a minute or two. If the OneDrive icon doesn’t re-appear after a few minutes, repeat step 1.

sync-icons

OneDrive sync icons provide sync update notifications. Refer to the snippets below.

documents word_icon _vti_
Files or folders sync complete Files or folders or still syncing Files or folders cannot be synced

Take the following steps if you do not see any of these icons.

  1. Click Start > All Programs > Accessories.
  2. Right-click Command prompt then click Run as administrator.
    Note: If the User Account Control dialog box appears, click Continue.
  3. Type %localappdata%\Microsoft\OneDrive\SkyDrive.exe /permachineupdate in the command prompt.
  4. Restart your computer.

 

windows-search

Ensure that Windows Search is running, to do this, take the following steps:

  1. Press Ctrl + Shift + Esc to open the Task Manager.
  2. Click the Services tab then find WSearch under the Name column.
    onedrive-services-tm
  3. Check the Status.
    • Running: Right-click WSearch then click Restart.
      onedrive-services-tm-restart
    • Stopped: Right-click WSearch then click Start.
      onedrive-services-tm-start

 

skydrive

To check if SkyDrive.exe is running, do the following steps:

  1. Press Ctrl + Shift + Esc to open the Task Manager.
  2. Click the Details tab then find SkyDriive.exe under the Name column.
    onedrive-details-tm
  3. Check the Status.
    • Running: No further action needed.
    • Stopped:
      1. Click File > New Run Task.
        onedrive-details2-tm
      2. Enter skydrive.exe then click the OK button.
        onedrive-details3-tm

 

compatibility-mode

Some programs may not be compatible with OneDrive smart files technology. To fix this use compatibility mode.

  1. Open File Explorer and find the executable file for your program (e.g., iexplorer.exe).
  2. Right-click the program name then select Properties.
  3. Click the Compatibility tab.
  4. Check Enable this program to work with OneDrive files then click OK.

 

duplicate-filenames

Duplicate filenames may lead to a sync problem so ensure that each file has OK a unique name. You may also have trouble with the sync process if you are uploading multiple files at the same time. To prevent this from.

 

filefilename

Check the file size of the files that you want to sync make sure that it is no larger than 15GB. If the file is too big, reduce the size of the file by zipping it.

Also, check the file path; it should have no more than 400 characters, e.g.,

C:\Users\<UserName>\Pictures\Saved\2014\January\Holiday\NewYears\Family…

 

storage

Insufficient OneDrive and disk space storage on your PC may also cause a sync problem. Ensure that you have enough space by checking and comparing the size of your OneDrive storage with the available disk space on your computer. If space is not enough, considering deleting or moving some files, or free up your disk space then try the sync process again. Alternatively, you may buy more storage.

 

internetspeed

Slow Internet connection may also affect the sync process of OneDrive. Check the Internet speed of your PC but doing the following steps:

  1. Open and start the Speed test app in your browser. If the download and upload speeds are slow, you can pause the sync process until you find a faster Internet connection.

    Note: You may also resolve the slow Internet connection issue by restarting your computer.
  2. Right-click the OneDrive folder then select Pause syncing.
  3. Select from 6, 8, or 24 hours until OneDrive resumes syncing.
  4. To see how many files you have in your OneDrive, open File Explorer.

  5. Right-click the OneDrive folder then select Properties.
    onedrive-properties
  6. Check the files, if you have more than 100,000 files then figure out which OneDrive folders you should sync with your PC.

 

sync-options

To check the sync options, do the following steps:

  1. Click Settings > Change PC settings.
  2. Click OneDrive.
  3. Click Metered connections.
  4. Change the settings of Upload and download files over metered connections and Sync and backup settings over metered connections to On.

Affected Products

Microsoft 365 from Dell
Article Properties
Article Number: 000185410
Article Type: How To
Last Modified: 06 Dec 2023
Version:  3
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